If there’s a scenario where Donovan Mitchell gets traded, the Cleveland Cavaliers should just do it now

If there’s a future where the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Donovan Mitchell, go ahead and do it now.

Before it gets twisted, I like Donovan Mitchell and I like that he’s on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s among my favorite players in the league and I was ecstatic that he was here. However, when he arrived I very much believed he’d fall in love with the city the way Kevin Love and Jose Ramirez have, and agree to an extension.

Now with the talk around him going to New York to play for the Knicks one way or another, I still like Mitchell, I just no longer see the point of holding on to him. Sports Illustrated wrote a piece where they said Mitchell could be on the trade block by the next trade deadline if things don’t go the Cavs’ way.

And if that’s the case, go ahead and trade him now then. His value will only decrease the longer he’s on the Cavs. The fewer and fewer years he has on his deal, the less value he has for other teams outside of the Knicks. It makes no sense to trade him in six months or 16 months if the end result is trading him eventually anyway, or worse yet, letting him walk in free agency.

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to recoup the losses of the Donovan Mitchell trade before it’s too late

Do you know what the last 10 years or so of NBA basketball has taught us? Superstars don’t win titles. Super Teams don’t win titles. Well-built teams, with clearly defined roles, a sense of culture and a coach who can scheme his way out of problems win NBA titles.

I honestly believe the 2021-2022 Cleveland Cavaliers play-in team was a better team than the 2022-2023 playoff team. Had the play-in team been healthy, the Cavs would likely have made the playoffs the year before and maybe done some damage.

I don’t believe that Mitchell makes the Cavs better exponentially. I believe Mitchell would’ve made the team better if the Cavs had kept Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love long-term, but as they’re still trying to find their replacements, I don’t see how Mitchell is making things better when his arrival directly leads to the team not being as good.

Yes, Mitchell was an upgrade over Collin Sexton, but no one who has arrived since that trade is as good as Markkanen by a mile, nor has anyone shown the potential that then-rookie Ochai Agbaji had. Plus, losing three first-round picks sure didn’t help. Trading for superstars rarely makes a team better.

The Cavs proved that in spades.

So if Mitchell isn’t willing to commit to a long-term future with the Cavs, trade him, and get back something that can help bolster the team going forward. There’s no sense in waiting and trading him for next to nothing when you could still get a nice haul for him today.

• Published on 07/06/2023 at 21:50 PM
• Last updated at 07/06/2023 at 21:51 PM